Siloxane polymers have been employed for a wide variety of uses. For example, as disclosed in "Nylon Jacketed Optical Fibre with Silicone Buffer Layer", Electronics Letters, 13, 153 (1977) by T. Naruse et al, siloxanes have been used for coating optical fibers. These coatings seem advantageous because of their low modulus of elasticity, e.g., 0.2 to 2 megapascal, their low glass transition temperature (lower than -50 degrees Centigrade), and because they undergo rapid thermal cure from a liquid of appropriate viscosity.
The relatively low modulus attainable with siloxane compounds has led to their use in many other applications. Exemplary of these applications are touch screen cathode ray tube (CRT) assemblies such as those employed for interactive programming. In use, a menu is displayed on the CRT screen and the operator chooses from the menu by touching the screen at an appropriate point. Siloxane bodies are employed as a deformable, interactive member. Light from the CRT entering this member is reflected within the plane of this member at a deformed site, e.g., a site being touched, and sensors at the periphery of the deformable region detect this reflected light. Thus, the interaction is sensed.
Although appropriate siloxane polymers have been successfully used, they have a tendency to become less flexible as they age. Obviously, in applications such as a touch screen CRT this decrease in flexibility is not entirely desirable. Additionally, siloxane polymers evolve hydrogen that adversely affects optical fiber performance. (F. Nakane et al, CEIDP Proceedings, Claymont, Del., October 1984 and S. R. Barnes et al., IEE Colloquium, London, June 1984.)